Android Apps Catch Up to Apple's

Published Feb 6, 2013 at 7:56 AM

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For five years Apple has ruled the mobile application market, but now Google catching up to the Cupertino, Calif. company with more than 700,000 apps available at Google Play.

The sales of Android apps doubled from the third to the fourth quarter, according to Bloomberg News, and many software firms are now creating iOS and Android apps at the same time. This comes after many developers have historically designed for Apple before even beginning an Android version. The reason? Android is the most widely used mobile operating system.

The 700,000 apps in Google Play tied those in Apple's App Store in October, likely because developers are now creating apps in both platforms. "It's growing exponentially - we've seen an inflection point the past six months," Clive Downie, chief executive officer of the Ngmoco unit at DeNA Co., told Bloomberg. "We treat Android and Apple the same. They are equal partners to us, and we put equal amounts of resources toward both platforms."

Android's apps have been rising because of the widespread use of Samsung's Galaxy S III, the second most popular smartphone, and other Android handsets. Apple's App Store still has 800,000 apps, but it's likely that Android will likely overtake the iOS apps soon.